Hi folks. Sorry for the disappearance. I have no excuse for not writing. Just living the Bipolar life: dealing with depression every. single. day. It can be a bear. There are many days I long to be manic because I miss being energized and full of life. Ha! I don’t even know the last time I felt great.

But like I said, it’s no excuse. I mean, how hard is it to simply say, “Hi.”?

I guess I put a lot of undo pressure on myself to be perfect. To say just the right thing. To touch all the bases. But, I learned that that is part of being a people-pleaser and I should not be a people pleaser. I should be pleasing God.

So, without further ado, herer is something I wrote today.

In Mark, chapter 15 verses 25 to 32 we read:

“It was nine in the morning when they crucified him. The written notice of the charge against him read: the king of the jews. They crucified two rebels with him, one on his right and one on his left. Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, “So! You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, come down from the cross and save yourself!” In the same way the chief priests and the teachers of the law mocked him among themselves. “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! Let this Messiah, this king of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe.” Those crucified with him also heaped insults on him.” (NIV)

I often forget how cruel the people were to Jesus as he stood on the cross. They visibly mocked him. They made fun of him. If Jesus was not spared from the humiliation of ignorant folks, then why should I think that I will be free from such people? Do I hold back my faith in front of others in effort to avoid the shame and humiliation that they will throw at me? Am I timid about my faith? If so, does that mean that I am weak in the faith? Do I need to change my perspective so that I can ‘boldly’ proclaim the Gospel everywhere at any time in front of anybody? Am I hiding my faith when I should be/could be stepping out with confidence?

What about you? Do you remain silent when opportunities and the nudging of the Holy Spirit tell you to say something? Can you remember a time when you spoke out in front of people you knew would silently or openly mock you? Did you feel ashamed or did the experience energize you? How can we shore up our strength to endure such insults and mockery?

I can think of two things we can do so that we can step out boldly and proclaim our faith no matter who is listening. 1) Prayer. We can ask God to embolden us and grow us so that we may endure the insults just as Jesus did. 2) We can read the Bible. We can seek out scripture that deals with building our character. And, we can seek out scripture that helps us to change our perspectives.

Remember, we are to be ‘spiritually minded’. If we walk in the Spirit, we can overcome the failings of the flesh. We CAN be strong through Christ. Philippians 4:13 says that we can do all things through Christ because he strengthens us.

If Jesus endured mockery and humiliation, we can too. Don’t be a shrinking violet. Be a lion. Be bold.

Here is a link to a resource that may help you learn to walk in the Spirit:

How To Walk in the Spirit

How To Walk in the Spirit

God Bless.